04.22.16

Hoeven, Klobuchar Provision to Help Nonprofits Save Money on Energy Efficiency Upgrades Passes Senate as Part of Bipartisan Senate Energy Bill

Provision will create a grant program to help nonprofits - including places of worship, faith-based organizations, and youth centers - afford materials needed for energy efficiency upgrades

WASHINGTON, DC – John Hoeven (R-ND) and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that a provision based on their Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act to help nonprofit organizations save money on energy efficiency upgrades passed the Senate this week as part of the bipartisan energy bill. The provision creates a grant program that will help nonprofits – including places of worship, faith-based organizations, and youth centers -- afford the materials needed to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and generate renewable energy. Since nonprofits are tax-exempt entities, they cannot currently benefit from many energy support programs because the programs are often structured in the form of tax credits.
“Providing churches, hospitals and other non-profit organizations to make their facilities more energy efficient will conserve not only energy but also money,” said Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. “By helping these institutions with the opportunity to make efficiency upgrades, they can devote more of their resources to the valuable services they provide to the public.”
“Nonprofits, including places of worship, serve our communities and deserve the same opportunity as other organizations to make energy efficiency upgrades,” Klobuchar said. “This common sense provision will boost America’s energy independence while helping nonprofit organizations save money on energy efficiency improvements, which in turn will help them do even more good work in our communities. The passage of this bipartisan provision as part of the energy bill is another big step forward.”

The provision would provide $10 million each year for the next five years to create a pilot grant program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to support nonprofits in purchasing materials for energy efficiency projects. The grants would promote energy efficiency by supporting the purchase of materials for upgrades to existing infrastructure as well as renewable energy generators and heaters. Nonprofits could apply for grants up to $200,000. The legislation is supported by the National Council of Churches, the YMCA of the USA, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, among other organizations.

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